GRAHAM Alexander wants to crack down on the number of soft-tissue issues that have hampered City.

The Bantams boss accepts that injuries happen but feels the club can work on limiting the amount of problems with muscle, tendon and ligament strains.

“We try to improve on all things that take players out of the equation to play,” said Alexander.

“There’s not a football club in the world who doesn’t get injuries, no matter how much money you spend.

“It’s the type of injuries and you have to look at the ones you feel are preventable.”

Alexander insists the intensity he wants on the training ground cannot be compromised to get City in the best shape for the marathon of the season.

“You have to understand that if you train at the right levels, you are going to pick up injuries because some people can’t reach those levels or find it hard to maintain them.

“We have to train to win. It’s not just about being available.

“We have to train at a certain level for a team that can go all the way for 50 games a season.

“So many things go into a player’s fitness levels. It’s history, recruiting the right athletes, looking after them, pushing them hard, the training pitches, all those things come into the equation to keep them fit.

“The best thing is the players’ own work ethic and discipline. They train at the right levels, they eat the right things, drink the right things, that is a massive chunk of it.

“A lot of the time it’s player education that will help the issue as well.

“We’ll look at every aspect to try and make sure we don’t have another season like we’ve just had because there has been too many (injuries) for everybody’s liking.”

City are in the process of recruiting a new head of physical performance in time for pre-season after Greg Stebbings left following three years at the club.